An Affair at the Opera
by PittsBurghFuzz
Summary: In the 1800's at the Paris Opera House, a love square unfolds for the affections of the Phantom of the Opera between a lovelly soprano, a ballerina, and a concierge?...IN PROGRESS
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: In this story, Madame Giry meets the Phantom like she does in the book BUT she will not be as old as she was in the Leroux novel. Giry will also be younger than the Phantom in this version.**

Chapter 1: A voice in the box

By: PittsBurghFuzz

_From Madame Giry's diary_

_My name is Madeline Giry. Now, I am old and gray and soon to die peacefully. I honestly can't complain about my life. I had a wonderful husband for ten years until he died, and then I gave birth to a loving daughter who married some count. Anyway, I am not going to recall every single detail of my life to bore the reader of this diary, but give important details about an important event. An event, far too important to leave out of this diary. _

_1875_

_Ah yes, the year the Garnier opened. I was a young girl then, with a young daughter to raise. They hired me to be the concierge for the boxes. My daughter then became a ballerina for the Opera. The building Garnier had assembled was marvelous to say the least. That night, we performed "Faust" in front of the many people who attended. Every seat was packed except one. No one had used Box Five..._

_After the evening came to a close, I inspected the boxes. It was really neat to walk through the Garnier at night, and I felt as if a ghost was following me. The ballerinas(including my daughter) were formulating rumors that the Opera Ghost was doing this. I couldn't help but laugh at the rumors. _

_I entered Box Five slowly, as if I was anticipating a mugger. I sat down and closed my eyes._

"_Giry." a voice called out._

_I jumped a little because I was startled by the voice's beauty._

"_Who's there?" I asked._

"_The Opera Ghost, of course."_

"_What do you want?" I gulped._

"_Calm down girl, there is nothing to fear right now. I just have a request."_

"_Yes, what is it?"_

"_Well, I need someone to run my errands for me."_

"_Can't a ghost do all of that anyway?" I questioned. _

"_Well, anyway, I need a sort of go-between for myself and the outside world. You seem to be the perfect woman for the job, considering you handle the boxes."_

"_What's in it for me?" I asked. "In addition, what do you want me to do?"_

"_Well, I will give you money first off, and I can have your daughter become an empress. Do you doubt that?"_

_With the power of his voice, I couldn't doubt it._

"_No, I do not, um, what should I call you?"_

"_My real name is Erik. But please, during business hours, you most refer to me as the Opera Ghost."_

"_That name sounds so dull. Why not something like, _The Phantom of the Opera_?"_

_There was silence for a moment, then he replied. "I like it. Hopefully it will catch on. It has some sexual appeal."_

_I blushed after he made that comment. Erik then chuckled._

"_What's so funny?"_

_He laughed again. "Nothing Giry, nothing. Anyway, meet me in Box Five tomorrow night. I must give you the access needed for my accounts and explain other instructions."_

"_Will I see you?" I asked him._

"_Unfortunately, I will need to personally hand you the account numbers and the necessary legal documents. Goodnight then, Giry."_

"_Erik."_

"_Yes?"_

_I hesitated to speak for a moment. "Well, can you call me Madeline off hours?"_

"_Yes."_

_The way he said yes was almost human ans reassuring, unlike the rest of the conversation where he was omnipotent and monotone. After he "left", I felt depressed and yearned for more of his company._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Night Later

By: PittsBurghFuzz

_Madame Giry's Diary (Cont'd)_

_For the duration of the next day, I pondered about my meeting with the Phantom, or Erik. There was something about him that made him present in my thoughts constantly. Almost as if he really were a ghost. It made wonder, _Was Erik really a ghost? _My daughter, Meg was practicing with the other ballerinas and they were preparing for _Faust.

_The manager was a very nervous man. Polingy was like an old woman; nervous, was grumpy at times, and was an outright coward. Polingy's pants would turn yellow if he heard a ghost story. _

_When I found out he actually had a wife and children, I thought I was about to faint. _

_After a night of just sitting around and waiting, I was finally able to go back to Box Five and see Erik. _

_I sat at Box Five for a few minutes thinking _Why would anyone want this box? _However, my thoughts became the words I spoke, and an ominous laugh came afterward. I jumped a little and the laughter continued. _

"_Erik?" I said panicking. "Is that you?"_

_The laughter stopped. "Madeline, are you alright?"_

_Erik asking me that question as one of the most beautiful things I ever heard. The way his words came together was so beautiful and precise. However, I couldn't see him._

"_Yes, I'm sorry Erik. I was just a little frightened and..."_

_A finger came to my mouth, silencing me. "No need to speak of that now, we have business to discuss."_

_I felt a little depressed. "Oh, okay." I replied._

"_Now, I shall step forward." Erik told me._

_I remembered then that Erik never revealed his physicality to me. He stepped into the light and it was a shock._

_Erik was well dressed in beautiful evening clothes. His shoes were shined and his shirt and jacket perfect. Erik also wore a black cape, and a black fedora. However, the most peculiar feature was a mask. His entire face was covered by a mask which had two pieces. The first piece covered the top portion of his face, from the top lip up I suppose. The face looked like that of a porcelain doll, but with no mouth. The second piece to Erik's "face" was a cloth of the same color as the mask. It looked very odd. Erik was a very tall man._

"_Madeline?" he asked._

_I was staring at Erik for too long. "Sorry Erik, I..."_

"_I'm used to it. Anyway, I must give you the information about my accounts and my other wishes."_

"_Yes Erik."_

"_Now, come with me to the dressing rooms."_

_Erik offered me his hand and I accepted it. He led me to the dressing rooms to a very old looking room with a huge mirror. At his command, it opened! Erik continued to led me down through the labyrinth. It was dark and damp, with beautiful carving on the wall. I presumed they were Erik's. _

_Once we walked down several stairs, Erik finally led me to a gondola on a lake! It was such a strange yet romantic sight._

"_We needed a lake beneath the opera to keep balance. Thus, the method of travel." he explained. _

_I stepped into the gondola, and Erik followed. _

_After a few minutes, we finally arrived at his lair. It was a dark, distant place that would seem to only occur in the mind. However, Erik had created it for himself. It had several shelves for books and his nicknacks. I presumed that Erik traveled the world to become the genius he was. I saw several designs and music sheets on the ground, along with sculptures of bizarre kinds. Erik also had an interesting music box in the shape of a monkey. _

"_Well, this is my lair. You must swear not to tell a single soul about this place." Erik told me._

_I nodded._

"_Well then, here are some of my instructions. First off, I want 20,000 Francs a month from Poligny. He would be stupid enough to believe in an opera ghost, so it won't be too hard to convince the poor man."_

_I nodded._

"_You must send all letters between me and Polingy. He must also personally deliver them to you to deliver to me. Now for the accounts..."_

"_Okay then..." I said._

"_They are handled by a name named Bernard. He has been a faithful friend for a while now. He generally sends things to me, so don't be alarmed by him. Anyway, he will give you access to the accounts for you. I will tell you how much of each payment will go to which account."_

"_Erik?"_

"_Yes? Did I confuse you?" He asked._

"_No, but can you answer me this question?"_

"_I guess so."_

"_So why are you asking me to do this?"_

_Erik sighed. "Well, everyone else was too weak-minded."_

_I stared at him in shock. Erik was giving me a compliment. _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The First Note

_Madeline Giry's diary(cont'd)_

"_Madeline?" Erik said to me, touching my shoulder ever so gingerly. _

"_Yes Erik?" I asked him._

"_I shall return you home very soon; in the meantime, please wait in my room. I shall be writing the first note for my managers. Understand?"_

_I nodded. _

"_Good. Now that curtain over there is the entrance to my bedroom chamber. Just wait there and I will get back to you in a few minutes."_

_I walked through the curtain and saw the most magnificent room I had ever seen. There was a huge swan bed that resembled a boat with deep red sheets. The actual bed itself was made of brass and there were beautiful dressers made of cherry wood. Then, I saw something next to the bed. It was a little monkey with cymbals on a barrel organ. I cranked the switch and it started to play. It was a soft tune and the monkey gently clashed its cymbals again and again. It reminded me of Erik's gentle nature._

**Erik's POV**

**I was writing the first note. I am to ask Madeline to have the managers grant me a 20,000 Franc salary every month. Am I ambitious? Not really. I was going to offer the management some advice and help them arrange their operas, so 20,000 Francs a month was actually a very humble sum of money. I hope I'm not keeping the girl waiting too long. I don't want her to lose patience. Madeline seems to be a fairly logical choice for my representative. She's intelligent, had common sense, and the only person whom I had any good relations at the opera. Madeline seemed to be very willing to take this position, which was odd. In fact, other than some extra spending money, what did she have to gain from this? Well all seemed well at this point. As long as she doesn't see my face...**

_Erik pushed the curtain aside and tapped my shoulder._

"_I finished the letter." Erik told me. "Now I can get you back up to the dormitories and get at least some sleep."_

"_I don't have to be up there. Some of the girls are old enough to take care of the younger ones." I told him._

"_Are you sure?" Erik asked, confused. _

"_If you have a spare bed, I could just stay here for the night. Besides, I don't want to make you take a special trip on the gondola."_

_Erik was stunned. I could only see his eyes, but it was evident that he was a little uncomfortable with the situation. _

"_Alright then. You can stay. I suggest you sleep in the master bedroom. You know, with the swan bed?"_

"_Where will you sleep?" I asked him._

"_I don't."_

_"What do you mean?" I asked, now the confused one._

"_I just don't. I sleep very little. Its a condition I have. Besides, I have some music to work on, and..."_

"_Wait, you compose music?" I asked him, with my eyes widening. _

"_Well, yes. Its something I do in my spare time."_

"_Could you play something for me, Erik?" _

"_I think you need to get to bed, I'm sure you have a long day ahead of you." Erik turned around and sat at his organ. "However, I shall play a lullaby if that will help you sleep."_

_I nodded excitedly. "Oh yes! Thank you Erik!"_

_I did not get a response. Erik began playing the tune. It was sweet and beautiful. Erik played the organ as if he were making love to a woman. He treated her gently, but with tremendous passion. I went to the bedroom to listen to Erik's tune. The tune from then on seduced me to sleep..._

**Is Madeline asleep? Good. A busy girl like her needs all the rest she can get. Wait! She has nothing to cover her body with! Madeline will be very cold! I'll rest my cape on her body, so at least she has at least something to warm her with. Strangely enough, she seems interested in my music. I have never met a woman who was fixated on just my music. The sultana was aroused by my creation of torture devices, and that girl was merely interested in the fact that she had not seen a single man in many years spend with nuns. **

_I woke up the next morning, reluctantly, for I had spent my sleep dreaming an ideal dream. It noticed something black covered me; Erik's cape! I picked it up and smiled. Erik was still playing, and it was still beautiful, he didn't tire. I got up from bed, to greet Erik good morning. When I saw him making changes to his work, I smiled. _

_"Good morning." Erik said._

"_Good morning." I replied. _

"_I'll take you back now, and give you the note with my request."_

"_Erik..."_

"_Yes?" _

"_What should happen if Polingy refuses?"_

_Erik laughed. "He'll agree Madeline, by force or by the sheer will of my written word."_

_Erik sounded very ominous when he spoke of his plan. I just presumed he wasn't going to do anything drastic. _

_After we returned, I neatened myself up to look presentable to the managers. My little ballerinas were speaking to me, asking where I was, but I reassured them that it was important. _

_I knocked on Polingy's door._

"_Come in." he replied, with a startled tone to his voice._

_I entered with the note in my hand._

"_Good morning Madame Giry. What brings you here?"_

"_Good morning monsieur, I have a note."_

"_Oh! Who is it from?"_

"_The Opera Ghost."_

_He jumped. "The WHAT!"_

"_Here,would you like me to read the note?"_

_He nodded, while sweating._

"_Dear Polingy, congratulations on acquiring the Garnier Opera House, its a beautiful building isn't it? Anyway, my letter was not to comment on something that we both need to discuss. I would require you to pay me 20,000 francs a month. This is to not only to prevent me from causing any 'accidents', but also as payment for my future services. I shall give you tips and bits of advice to improve on your productions. Now consider your options and send your letter though the reliable services of Madame Giry. Regards, O.G."_

_After I finished the letter, Polingy sighed. Polingy was looking at concept drawings, probably for a new production or something. I recognized the drawing and handwriting to be Erik's._

"_These are his drawings?" he asked me._

"_Yes monsieur, they are. He can provide this and more for the small price of 20,000 francs a month."_

"_What makes you think that I'm going to listen to you? What if this is your idea of trying to get a raise?" _

"_Polingy! I have no need for a raise, I am merely a messenger." I shrugged my shoulders._

"_Well, in any case, I am not going to listen to you any longer!"_

"_But you will listen to me!" A strange, yet ominous and familiar voice commanded. _

_Polingy jumped as soon as he heard the noise. "What the hell was that?"_

"_Your death if you don't listen to me!" _

_I giggled knowing it was Erik._

"_Wha-what do you want?" Polingy stuttered._

"_I want what the girl asked for. A 20,000 franc per month salary and in return, I grant you my advice and taste on operas. Sound fair enough to you?"_

"_Prove to me you are the Phantom!" Polingy asked._

"_Alright then, where is your wallet?"_

_Polingy searched fin his pocket but couldn't find the wallet._

"_Where is it?"_

"_Its in your drawer. Where you keep the keys. That's it!"_

"_Okay then. If I do agree to this ludicrous pact, will you stop teasing me?" Polingy asked._

"_If you keep up the payment, alright?"_

"_Fine."_

"_Now, give Giry the first 20,000 so we can be done for the day, shall we?"_

"_Fine then."_

_Madame Giry took the 20,000 francs and placed it in an envelope._

"_Now as for my advice, that shall also come through Madame Giry. If you need to contact me, please send a note through her. I shall leave now."_

_After Erik claimed to leave, Polingy asked, "How well do you know him?"_

_I told Polingy, "Not enough."_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Girl of No Consequence

By: PittsBurghFuzz

_I remember that fateful day clearly. It was a cold and musky day, not a day for fun and games, but for funerals and dealing with grief. My brother-in-law, Gustave had passed away. _

_Gustave was much too young to die, but death decided to wrap his hand's cold grip around Gustave's throat. Gustave's wife had died, giving birth to their lovely daughter, Christine. The child was nothing less than the epitome of beauty._

_When Gustave died, Christine seemed different, as if part of her went to death with her father. Aftermath was that Christine' singing ability wasn't as pure as it used to be. Then, Christine decided to become a member of the ballet at the Paris Opera. _

_Christine was only fourteen when her father died, and yet she was more in kinship with a frightened toddler. The poor girl was frightened of everything. _

_Good thing she wouldn't get involved with Erik, I thought then._

_A week after Christine arrived, one of the stage hands had been murdered. No doubt in my mind that Erik had something to do with it. _

_During my weekly journey down to Erik's lair, I knew I had to ask him about the murder._

_Sure enough, I saw Erik working on a strange manuscript, called _Don Juan Triumphant_. It seemed that _Don Juan _consumed many hours of Erik's days._

_I gently tapped him on the shoulder, but quickly closed the manuscript and turned around. Erik's eyes seemed annoyed. _

"_What is it Madeline." Erik asked, trying not to sound angry. "Have the managers sent me another note?"_

"_No Erik, I have to ask though, why did you do it?" I asked._

_Erik rolled his eyes. "Do what?"_

"_You know Erik! Don't play dumb with me!" I yelled, as if I were his mother._

"_Oh you mean Pierre?" Erik chuckled. "Oh that little bastard. I'm afraid he knew too much, same thing with his brother Joseph, but I'll worry about him latter. Besides, he fell into one of my many traps."_

"_Traps! What traps!" I asked._

"_Well, certain self-defense mechanisms. It seems curiosity, not I that killed the cat." Erik simply stated._

"_Well, do you have any notes for the managers?" I asked._

"_Yes I do, actually." Erik took out a small envelope with his death's head seal on the back. _

"_Now tell them that their reply doesn't need to be sent immediately, just soon enough."_

"_Okay."_

_Erik then looked at my tired face. "Something wrong, Madeline?" Erik asked._

_I sighed. "My brother-in-law passed away, and now my niece is staying with the corps de ballet."_

"_I'm sure this is difficult for you both. If you require my services..."_

"_I understand Erik. Thank you."_

"_Anytime, Madeline. I just need you to run an errand for me." _

"_What is it, Erik?"_

"_Tomorrow, I will leave the sum of five-thousand francs in a steel box. I want you to create a new account. What is the name of your niece?"_

"_Christine Daae" I told him._

"_Very well then. When Christine is an adult, I will trust that you will inform her of this small sum of money. Maybe she can do something with it later, attend a school, who knows?"_

"_Thank you Erik."_

"_Please Madeline, think of it as my appreciation for your services."_

_I think I could tell that Erik was smiling underneath his mask. _

_A week later, I found that Christine only made one friend. And that one friend was my daughter, Meg. It was funny watching them play. Meg was always the spirited child with extreme ideas, while Christine was more cautious and reserved, and perhaps even gulible._

"_I think we should paint on Polingy's face!" Meg suggested._

"_Why? It will only make him angry!" Christine told my daughter._

"_Oh come on Christine, it'll be fun."_

"_No thanks Meg." _

_Another interesting trait about Christine was that she was modest to a fault. Christine was totally unaware of her angelic beauty. She almost seemed to ignore the glances the stage hands and male actors were giving her. However, there was only one man in her heart: Raoul, the vicomte de Chagny. _

"_Christine, when are you ever gonna stop thinking about the vicomte?" Meg asked._

"_Never." Christine simply replied._

_Later thaat night, Erik was pounding on his organ, playing through the variuous tunes of _Don Juan Triumphant. _I came down to say goodnight._

"_I see you've changed activities since I last saw you." I said sarcastically. _

_Erik sighed. "If you look over there, I have been accomplishing more than _Don Juan_." Erik pointed to a pile of random sketches._

"_What are these?" Madame Giry asked._

"_Oh just some sketches for an empire, of dreams."_

"_What is it called?"_

"Phantasma._" Erik told me._

"_Looks incredible."_

"_Those are the rejected sketches."_

"_But Erik, they are beautiful."_

_Erik laughed. "They are uglier than..." Erik was about to say something but gulped._

"_Well, they're bad in my opinion, so they are trash."_

"_May I keep them?" I asked._

"_Keep them? Ha! Take them, I have no use for those, grotesque tradgedies." _

"_I'll see you later then?" _

"_Sure." _


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Six Years Later 1881

_Madame Giry's Diary_

_If 1881 would be remembered for anything at the opera, it would have an image of Erik associated with it. The day that Christine became a star was one of the highlights of my life, and despite the pain that followed; I looked at that day with great fondness. It was a warm Autumn's day with a light and gentle breeze caressing the air. _

_The production in question that generated Christine's sudden triumph was Hannibal. The opera diva Carlotta was the original lead, but well strategized events created Christine's victory._

_At this point Erik simply told me to slip the notes through Box Five and I barely saw him. He was growing more and more distanced, and he was very busy. _

_But I am getting off track, back to the opera!_

_Meg and Christine were part of the ballet of course, and with my strict supervision, they and the rest of the corps de ballet became a well-oiled machine. The production value was immense on this project, with golden pieces, elaborate costumes and even a man operated elephant. Polingy was becoming happier the last few months, and none of us knew why. _

_That same day, he walked in with two strange looking men. _

"_Ladies and gentlemen, I would like your attention." Poligny demanded, and everybody listened._

"_Thank you, I would like to announce that today, I am retiring from being the manager of this opera house. It has been a decision that I have been thinking about for a long time now, and I think this building could benefit from a fresh new set of eyes. So I present to you, your new managers, Firman and Andre."_

_The two men bowed._

"_We are both very excited about receiving such an honor to manage this fine establishment." Firman commented._

"_I concur with my partner, and our productions will be truly successful." Andre continued where his associate left off._

"_Very good. Now I wish everyone success in the future!" our old manager was gone forever._

"_Okay then, now where to start." Firmin asked himself out loud._

"_Monsieur, I have a note from the Opera Ghost." I told him._

"_What?" Andre was confused. "Who are you? And more importantly, what are you talking about?"_

"_I am Madame Giry, head of the corps de ballet, and the representative of the opera ghost. He makes suggestions and important production decisions in exchange for 20,000 francs a month." I explained._

"_That is extortionate!" Andrews shouted. "Is he serious?" _

"_I assure monsieur, this is not to be taken lightly."_

"_We'll get to that later," Firman moved on with a note of frustration in his voice. "Now let us get this production going!"_

_As everyone went to their places, Andre found the diva, Carlotta._

"_LA CARLOTTA!" Andre pressed his lips on her offered hand, and Firman soon followed._

_Needless to say, they were excited that Polingy left them one of opera's greatest stars. Praise went on for several minutes, and many know what else happened. _

_As soon as Carlotta began singing, a background fell on her. The diva shrieked and the managers had a panic attack. _

"_Senora! Are you alright?" the two men asked with a note of fear._

_Carlotta was hysterical with tears._

"_Senora, these things happen." Firman tried to reassure Carlotta._

"_You were here for five minutes and you think that because of that you can determine that 'these things do happen'? Well if this doesn't stop, this thing does not happen!" the diva barked at her managers._

"_Senora no!" the two spineless men attempted to get their only asset back, to no avail. _

_The managers had no idea what to do, but I knew what I had to do that day. Erik had planned this to make a star out of a young woman._

"_Who can play the part?" Firman whined._

"_Christine Daae sir." I told my managers._

"_Who? That sounds familiar." Andre realized as his face no longer reflected horror, but now confusion._

"_Me monsieur" Poor Christine was trembling when she said this._

"_You? You know the part?" the bewildered managers said almost simultaneously. _

"_Yes messieurs. I can." the quivering little girl gulped._

"_Daae, are you related to the violinist?" Andre's curiosity peaked._

"_My father monsieur." Christine smiled._

"_Very well then, the aria please!" Firman requested._

_Most of you know the story. Christine sang beautifully and not only won over the managers, but won the role Carlotta previously occupied._

_Erik was pleased with his creation._


End file.
